Terrible Twin Troubles
by peaches8888
Summary: The one thing that was drilled into me from a young age, they come first. 'They,' means the Moroi and well, I have always followed the rule. Even when I ran away two years ago with my three best friends: Rosemarie 'Rose' Hathaway, Vasilisa 'Lissa' Dragomir and Vasela 'Ela' Dragomir. Rose and I have sworn to protect the two Moroi princesses for as long as we live.
1. Chapter 1

The one thing that was drilled into me from a young age, _they come first. _'They,' means the Moroi and well, I have always followed the rule. Even when I ran away two years ago with my three best friends: Rosemarie 'Rose' Hathaway, Vasilisa 'Lissa' Dragomir and Vasela 'Ela' Dragomir. Rose and I have sworn to protect the two Moroi princesses for as long as we live. I have to protect Ela while Rose protects Lissa. All four of us ran from the academy for the same reason. The Princesses felt depressed and out of place while Rose and I acted as their guardians. We were in Portland and were staying at a college campus. Oh by the way, my name is Jasmine Lancia and this is my adventures.

I was just getting to sleep when I heard some screaming. Then there was another scream. I knew exactly whose they were. I bolted out of my bed and ran down the hall. I pushed open a door and saw Ela thrashing around in her bed. I ran over to her bed and knelt placing one of my slightly tanned hands onto her pale, cold arm.

"Ela, Ela,"I was shaking her, attempting to wake her. I could just hear Rose doing the same thing to Lissa. Ela was now whimpering and I took it as a sign. She then slowly opened her green, jade eyes and looked at me.

"Mom, Dad," She moaned. "Oh my god." I helped her sit up and sighed.

"It is ok. We are in Portland, not in the accident," I said comforting her. I felt her calm down through the bond. The bond we got from the car accident. We were being escorted to a ball following Lissa and Rose in the car in front. We begged the driver to turn the volume up when we saw the crash. We barely had time to brake before we crashed into the back of the car in front. Shaking myself from the memory I looked at Ela and gave her my gentle smile which never came so often.

"I hate that dream," She muttered. I lost my smile.

"I noticed," I said. Ela lip's curled into a smirk. Ela wasn't exactly calm but was still scared. I pulled her into a hug and felt her emotions calm down more. I pulled back and noticed the bags under her eyes. Her skin was also pallier than normal.

"Feeding time," I whispered to her shifting my head.

"No I don't need-"She started to protest. I raised my hand and gave her a stern look.

"Don't. Let's do it," I said. Ela started to protest but I moved my chestnut hair from my neck. She sighed hesitating, obviously knowing she was defeated. Then a hungry face grew on her face as she eyes my bare neck, exposing the fangs she tried so desperately tried to hide. I saw her lean towards my neck. She then pushed her red hair out of her face as her face was next to my neck. I then felt her fangs slowly touch my skin before bitting into my neck. I muffled my moan as the sweet, lovely sensation filled my body. That was the one thing I hated from the feeding. The fact that I was left in a state that left me weak for hours to follow. She then drew back, grabbing a tissue and wiped her mouth. I then grabbed one for myself and wiped my neck. I heard Rose moaned and guessed she and Lissa did the same thing.

"Alright?" Ela asked. I nodded and felt the dizziness come over me, fighting through my defences.

"I'll sleep it off." She gave me a stern look before going to get us food. I stood and walked into Lissa's room. A small smirked appeared as I heard Rose protest to Lissa grabbing food.

"Ela gone to do that," I said sitting next to Rose. Lissa shrugged before going out. I turned to Rose and saw she was watching Oscar.

"You don't know what you're missing," She said. I smirked again and we both noticed it. Oscar would have normally turned and hissed at both of us but he didn't. Rose and I both walked towards the window looking out. It still cast enough light for me to make out the shapes of cars and buildings. In our own yard, I could see the silhouettes of trees and bushes. Then I saw it. There was enough light to see an outline of a shadow. I looked near the shadow and saw a man staring at us. I jumped back and turned. I estimated he was about thirty yards away.

"I will get the girls," I said. Rose nodded and I ran towards the kitchen. The twin sisters were talking as I saw Jeremy studding.

"You shouldn't be up." Ela said immediately.

"We have to go. Now." I said. Lissa's eyes widened. After a few moments she nodded and Ela was still watching me. Lissa went upstairs to talk to Rose as I was to explain to Ela.

"Are you…really? Are you sure?" I nodded. I couldn't explain how I knew for sure. I just did. Jeremy watched us curiously.

"What's wrong?" He asked. Ela's face said she had an idea come to mind.

"Can we have the car keys?" Ela asked.

"What's going on?" Jeremy asked.

"We just need your car keys," Ela repeated using a bit of compulsion. "Where are they?" Jeremy smiled and I shivered slightly. I hated the feeling I got when she used compulsion. Jeremy reached into his pocket and handed them over.

"Thank you," said Lissa. "And where is it parked?" I didn't jump but they certainly startled me. Jeremy told us the location. It was four blocks away. Fun. "Thank you," she repeated, backing up. "As soon as we leave, I want you to go back to studying. Forget you ever saw us tonight." Jeremy nodded and I shared a look with Rose. Rose nodded and she went outside first. I let Lissa and Ela go before me before I went outside. I felt a cold breeze against my bare arm.

"Shit," I muttered to myself. I forgot to grab a jacket. I saw Rose stumble a little and Lissa caught her. Ela eyed me, expecting me to do the same.

"You shouldn't be walking so soon after feeding. Same for you Jass," Lissa said.

"Well we can't help it. We have to keep going," I said. Lissa gave Ela a pleading look.

"She's right Liss. We have no choice. We kept going before Lissa and Ela stopped.

"Did you hear that?" They both asked at the same time. It took me a few seconds to pick up what their sharper senses already had. Footsteps, moving fast. I grimaced. We had two more blocks to go. From the expression on Rose's face, she had the same thought.

"We have to run," I said. Lissa and Ela started to protest. "Run," I repeated. We started to run and it took everything I had not to pass out and leave Rose to protect them in her state. The footsteps echoed louder and louder. We turned around the corner and I saw Jeremy's green Honda. We were almost there. My expression filled with Joy then I saw him. A man ten feet from the car. We came to a screeching halt, and I jerked Lissa back by her arm. Rose grabbed Ela's. It was the same man we saw stalking us from the window. He was older than us, maybe mid-twenties, and as tall as I'd figured, probably six-six or six-seven. He had Shoulder-length brown hair, tied back in a short ponytail. Dark brown eyes. A long brown coat-a duster, I thought it was called. He was the only thing that was standing in between us. I moved next to Rose. Then more guardians appeared. Oh god! They sent twelve guardians after us. Not even the queen had that much.

"Stay away from them," Rose growled. She stood in front of us while I had Ela's and Lissa's arm. His face was unreadable, but he held out his hands in what was apparently supposed to be some sort of calming gesture, like we were rabid animals he was planning to sedate. "I'm not going to - " He took a step forward. Too close. Rose leapt at him preforming an offensive manoeuvre neither of us had used since we had run away. That was a stupid move. He then just brushed Rose away with a swipe of his hand. I tightened my grip on the princesses as he then caught Rose with ease.

"My name is Dimitri Belikov," he said. I could hear a faint Russian accent. "I've come to take you back to St. Vladimir's Academy, Princesses." I hardened my face.

"Like hell." I then turned and pulled the two princesses away. We ran down a dark alley and slipped into a hiding spot behind a dumpster. They ran right past us and I paused. Once I was sure the guardians were gone and couldn't hear us, we walked back to the car. Rose and that Dimitri guy was gone. But I silently cursed. There was another guy. He looked exactly look exactly the same. They were twins I guessed.

"This time they will come with us," He said, sharing the same faint accent. I pushed them backwards.

"Over my dead body," I hissed. I didn't see any facial expression change but I guessed he knew I was going to say that. I heard the princesses walk backwards. Thank god they had the good idea. I didn't want them hurt. He looked at me and I felt a feeling. Oh shit! Don't tell me I liked the guy. He and I walked in a circle, neither wanting to attack. My patience grew thin and I lunged at him, repeating the same move Rose had earlier. Only until the end did I realize that it was a mistake. He swatted me away, probably just intended to keep me away - but my lack of coordination interfered with my ability to respond from the bite. Unable to catch my footing, I started to fall, heading straight toward the sidewalk at a twisted angle, hip-first. It was going to hurt. A lot. Only it didn't.

Just as quickly as he'd blocked me, the man reached out and caught my arm, keeping me upright. When I'd steadied myself, I noticed he was staring at me - or, more precisely, at my neck. Still disoriented, I didn't get it right away. Then, slowly, my free hand reached up to the side of my throat and lightly touched the wound Ela had made earlier. When I pulled my fingers back, I saw slick, dark blood on my skin. Embarrassed, I shook my hair so that it fell forward around my face. I could've sworn my cheeks were bright red. My hair was thick and long and completely covered my neck. I'd grown it out for precisely this reason. The guy's dark eyes lingered on the now-covered bite a moment longer and then met mine. I returned his look defiantly and quickly jerked out of his hold. He let me go, though I knew he could have restrained me all night if he'd wanted. Fighting the nauseating dizziness, I backed toward Ela again, bracing myself for another attack. Suddenly, her hand caught hold of mine. "Jass," she said quietly. "Don't." Her words had no effect on me at first, but calming thoughts gradually began to settle in my mind, coming across through the bond. It wasn't exactly compulsion - she wouldn't use that on me - but it was effectual, as was the fact that we were hopelessly outnumbered and outclassed. Even I knew struggling would be pointless. The tension left my body, and I sagged in defeat. Sensing my resignation, the man stepped forward, turning his attention to Ela. His face was calm. He swept her a bow and managed to look graceful doing it, which surprised me considering his height.

"My name is Damion Belikov and my brother and I have come to take you home princesses," he said before I passed out. I could still imagine the face as the darkness surrounded me.


	2. Chapter 2

I had woken up and we were on a plane. Even though we are captives, it is a pretty luxurious plane, although it was tiny. I looked around my surroundings and saw I was sitting next to Lissa and Rose was next to Ela. Ok they were smart to keep us separated but they weren't that smart. I looked back and saw Rose trying to hide a smirked as she knew as well. I leaned over to Lissa as she was looking out the window.

"Send to Rose how stupid they are and we need to escape," I whispered just soft enough for us to hear. Lissa nodded and I saw her concentrate. I looked to Rose and smirked. She giggled a little but covered her mouth. Dimitri and Damion shared a look and Rose changed her facial expression from laughter to seriousness. She whispered something to Ela.

_Totally! We have one problem, we are in the air and they will get us before you find the parachutes._ Ela reported the words to me. I found it so hard not to giggle, I gave Rose a nod. Then I got strange looks from both brothers. Dimitri came and sat next on the aisle across from us. I acted like nothing happened. He watched me closely like he was looking for an explanation written on my face..

"What is so funny that Rosemarie would laugh at?" Dimitri asked us. I acted causal and tried not to correct him to say 'Rose'.

"How the hell should we know seeing as we are on the opposite ends of the plane?" I asked acting all innocent. Dimitri gave me a look and I shrugged. He sighed heavily.

"Well why did you send her a nod Jasmine?" Dimitri asked. Shit! Ok excuses, excuses. Something! Then it came to my mind.

"I remembered something Rose told me earlier and she was waiting on an answer," I answered. He looked closer watching my facial expressions. I kept facing forward not daring to glance him in the eye.

"What was that?" Dimitri asked. Excuses ran through my mind once again.

"She wanted to know if I was umm… well… it is sort of personal," I answered rubbing my fingers together. It wasn't a total lie because in fact she had asked me something along those lines.

"Girl stuff?" Dimitri asked raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, yes exactly!" I exclaimed a bit too loud.

_What are you doing?_ Ela sent to me.

"Nothing!" I said out loud. Dimitri gave me a look. Shit, I wasn't getting out of this very well. Excuses once again ran through my head and I sighed when I found the right one.

"I have this banana condition where I apple say random chairs things at random tables times. Coconut sorry," I said, hoping I was convincing. I knew Rose was probably hiding her laughter. I tried not to scowl her. Tried.

"What does Rose have it as well?" Dimitri asked. Rose opened her mouth to say something but I cut her off. I wore this mischievous grin.

"Yes." I got this death glare from Rose.

"Are you plane trying to clock expose our gorgon secrets?!" She asked. I shook my head.

_This is so funny_ Ela sent. We will see about that.

"Oh Ela and Lissa have it as well. It's kinda contagious so that's why we left. We didn't want to give it to everyone. You might want to move away from us," I warned trying to sound convincing. I put on my innocent smile and it seemed to have work. Dimitri muttered something in Russian, which Damion responded to with a smile. Dimitri rolled his eyes and they switch seats. Damion came to sit next to me.

"Is this condition real or are you making it up?" He asked. Great, he gets right to the point automatically.

"Yes it is real. Why on earth would I make up a fake condition?" He had this moment to think.

"So you could cover when you said 'Nothing!' out loud. That is a perfectly good reason to say that," He responded.

"It is real. I try really hard to control it but it sometimes slips out and I say random stuff for a few minuets, then I get it under control," I said refusing to look him in the eyes. I felt him move closer and he brushed my hair away from my ear. It sent shivers down my back.

"My brother is easily fooled, but I know you are lying," He whispered before backing up. I didn't realize he had uncovered my bite mark until I turned to face him and saw him staring at my neck. I shifted my hair so it covered the mark again.

"Are you going to stop gawking at my neck or am I going to have to sit next to Rose?" I asked. That seemed to snap him out of his daze.

"No I was just thinking. How did you get that?" He asked.

"Scissors," I answered immediately. On a rare occasion someone actually saw the bite mark, I claimed I used scissors. Damion muttered something in Russian nodding. I heard Dimitri chuckle before Rose distracted him. "Care to translate?" I asked placing my hand on my hip. He couldn't see it though because of the fact that I am sitting not standing.

"No not really." I looked at his now expressionless face.

"Were you saying that I am a clumsy bitch who should fucking know better then run with scissors?" I asked. I saw a tiny bit of his lips curl. Why the hell am I looking at his lips? Focus!

"I am not allowed to say such rude words in front of the princesses; although I am sure she is use to them." I heard Lissa cough and I turned to her. I swear she tried to muffle a 'yes.'

"For your information Damion, was it? I actually watch my language when I am alone with Lissa and Ela."

"Vasilisa and Vasela," He corrected. "Why not watch it around us?"

"Because," I started," I love to be known as a badass." I stood up and brushed my hair back.

"Where are you going?" He asked immediately standing up.

"To the toilet. What are you like a stalker?" I asked. He shook his head and Rose laughed.

_Nice one! _Ela sent. I glanced at her and she was giggling.

"Be right back," I said flipping my hair over my shoulder. I walked past a door and knew I had all eyes on me. I turned around and was face to face with Alberta Petrov.

"Keep walking Lancia." Geez she hasn't changed a bit.

"Yes sir," I mumbled turning around.

"It's actually 'Yes ma'am." It was so hard not to send a witty comeback. I spotted the parachutes. Jackpot. I entered the rest room and looked around. Great. It was teeny! I just hoped that Ela was okay. I looked through the bond. Rose was watching the Dimitri guy.

"Because I'm her guardian." She answered. Ela stayed quiet seeing as she was sitting in between them. Rose turned back to the window and Damion swapped places. I was jerked out as someone was pounding on my door.

"WHAT?!" I demanded seeing as I was standing beside of the door.

"We are landing so get back to your seat Jasmine." I groaned. The one thing I hate about flying is the landing. I've seen so many crashes and we were so close to escaping. I flushed, still sticking to my cover and walked out. I practically hopped to my seat and fastened my seatbelt.

"Everything Ok?" Dimitri asked.

"Perfectly fine," I answered refusing to look him in the eye.

"Everything is so beautiful," Lissa said. I jerked her away from the window.

"You know how I feel about flying! Don't look out please!" I hissed/pleaded. She nodded and I sat back in my seat and closed my eyes.

"Jass, Jass," Someone was shaking my arm. I opened them and saw Ela.

"Have we landed?" I asked afraid of looking out the window.

"Yes," Ela answered, her voice sweet. I looked beside her and saw both Belikov brothers watching.

"Thanks," I whispered before standing up. I felt queasy and a little relieved at the fact that I didn't see the landing. I walked beside Ela and saw Rose walking beside Lissa.

"Let's catch up," I whispered. Ela nodded and we ran and caught up to them before a guardian knocked me to the ground.

"What the hell?" I asked

"You were escaping," he answered his voice flat.

"No we were catching up to Rose and Lissa," Ela responded Damion stood in front of her.

"Seriously I wouldn't do it while Guardians are watching my every fucking move!" I exclaimed. Ela sent calming thoughts through the bond. Rose was being restrained while Lissa escaped her guardian and knelt next to me.

"As reckless as she is, Jass would not risk such an attempt where she can be caught easily." I tried very, VERY hard not to growl at Liss. The guardian reluctantly got off me and I brushed myself off. I eyed him. Ela put her hand on my arm and I looked to her.

"Let it go Jass," she whispered. I opened my mouth to protest when I realized she was trying to compel me.

"Ela! You know how I feel about compulsion!" I hissed. She looked away and nodded. I looked and saw Damion watching us.

"Not discussing escape plans are we?" He asked.

"I would never try it here. Even if I would, I would do it at thee gates of the school," I answered dryly. Rose soon joined us.

"Are you alright?" She asked. I nodded. I smirk came to my lips.

"I find out who he is, stalk him, and get him he isn't looking. You hold I punch," I suggested. She shared my evil grin and nodded while the princesses rolled their eyes. I shrugged. What did they really expect? That we would change. Takes a lot more then that I am afraid. We soon entered the cars and they drove off. I was handcuffed to the door and was trying to free it.

"I wouldn't do that. You could hurt your wrist," Damion warned. He was driving and Ela was in the backseat.

"You got a saw that I could borrow?" I asked. He shook his head. My phone vibrated against my leg and I fished it out with my free hand. Shit! It was my ex boyfriend Daniel. The text message read: _Come one! You have to stop ignoring me! Seriously I want things to be better. Just give me another chance babe. Please!_ I scoffed.

"Read this," I said throwing it back to Ela. She scoffed as well and I heard her typing.

"Ela?" I asked. She held the phone in the middle. Damion snatched it before I could even move I muscle.

"Who is this Daniel?" He questioned.

"My ex-boyfriend," I answered looking out my window.

"Now Ela I expected these words from Jasmine, not you," He said. I raised an eyebrow.

"What did you say Ela?" I asked.

_Never in a fucking million years will you get me back. I am out of your fucking league so you can go fuck your mom._ She sent. I laughed out loud and she smirked.

"Nice one," I said. I was still giggling when I noticed Damion watching us. Shit! I exposed our secret.

"Now how did you know what the message contained?" He asked.

"I saw it. You were flashing the message to me," I responded almost immediately. He nodded and passed the phone back.

"I would delete that if I were you," He said.

"I will," I assured him. I hot send before turning my phone off. I smirked to myself. We stopped right outside of the gates and I sighed. I figured that everything was going to be the same. We stopped abruptly.

"What?" I asked.

"Stay in the car," Damion said as he was getting out. My guardian instincts came on and I looked around then I saw two eyes with re rings lining their pupils.

"Shit!" I yelled. It was a Strigoi. This was going to get dangerous. I just had to protect Ela. That is my number one priority. She has to come first.


	3. Chapter 3

You know those evil vampires you were told when you were younger? They are Strigoi. Now one stood in front of the car. Fun. Damion got its attention as I yanked my arm, willing it to come free.

"Jass," Ela said quietly I looked up and saw they were gone. I finally managed to free my hand when the car erupted into chaos. Screaming, glass shattering, fighting. The usual stuff. Ela was screaming because a different Strigoi had broken the window. I jumped to the back of the car and pushed the door open. The Strigoi stumbled backwards. I bolted out of the car and stood my ground.

"Foolish girl," It hissed its voice raspy. "Follow me if you dare," It said before running off.

"Oh no you don't!" I ran after it. We were running in the woods. Correction, I was running while he was walking fast. Strigoi have very fast movements and compared to them, us running is them walking. I saw him disappear and stopped. I was panting and become scared. It was not a very good sign. I drew a shaky breath as I turned around. That basterd had led me into the middle of the forest, at night. Shit. I started to run back the way I came when something grabbed my shoulders and slammed me to the ground. I saw red ringed eyes eying my neck. I chocked. It was my mother.

"Mom," I said, my voice shaky. She was a guardian like I am training to be, but she was too busy protecting my father that she didn't see the Strigoi coming from behind. I still have nightmares from it.

"Have I ever taught you to never fall for a Strigoi's tricks?" She asked me. I shook my head slightly and she was still eyeing my neck. "None the less, I caught you, so I get to feed of you!" She exclaimed lunging forward. I ducked but she grabbed my neck from behind and slammed me into the ground. I was winded as she moved closer to my neck. I shrieked as she bit into my neck. The pain was soon replaced with a sweet feeling. She was feeding too long. Black spots started to fill my vision. Last I saw was someone pushing her off me and she hissed. They ran off while Damion knelt next to me and was whispering to me.

I woke up and was sweating. Rose was asleep in the chair next to me and I felt Ela's emotions. It wrenched me into her. She was sobbing on her bed. Lissa was beside her and was soothing her.

"She will wake up soon I promise," Ela looked at her.

"I want to go heal her!" Ela said.

"I know, I know. I tell you what, how about we go visit her?" Lissa suggested. Ela nodded and I was jerked out to Rose shaking me.

"Jesus Christ! I thought you were dead!" Rose squealed hugging me. I smiled and hugged her.

"Do me a favour and tell Lissa to tell Ela to hurry up and get her arse over her," I whispered. Rose smiled.

"You know I can't."

"I know," I said. Then, Dr. Olendzki came in.

"My dear, we thought you were never going to wake up. You lost a lot of blood," She said.

"I was stupid to think I could kill the Strigoi. It was too powerful, it was …" I couldn't finish the sentence.

"It was her mother," Dimitri said as the two brothers walked in. I looked down as memories of my mother flooded my eyes.

"She's awake?!" I heard Ela squeal. I was pulled into her and she ran down the hall and I was suddenly looking at myself. Rose must have realized what was happening because she shook my arm again and I was back in my own body before I was tackled by Ela.

"Yes, Yes hello Ela," I said as she refused to let me go. I saw the brothers whisper something and I raised an eyebrow.

"What is it?" I asked. They looked at me before speaking in Russian.

"Kirova wants to talk to us," Rose said.

"Headmistress Kirova," Damion corrected.

"That bitch is headmistress?" I asked. Rose nodded.

"Might as well get it over with, I said. Rose gave me a look and we soon got moving.

I pushed the doors open to the headmistress room and walked into the room. I flopped myself into the chair as the others came in. I gave Kirova a smile.

"Nice to see you're alive," She said to me.

"As if you care," I said as Rose stood behind me.

"Rosemarie," Kirova said.

"It's just Rose," Rose started and gave me a smirk. I returned it.

"You old hag," I finished. We high-five each other. I saw Victor Dashkov standing in a corner.

"Vasilisa, Vasela," He said. I saw Rose get startled but we watched him as he used all his might to join the sisters. They hugged him.

"Uncle," They whispered at the same time. I gave him a smile and gave him a nod of the head.

With a small smile, he gently patted their backs. "You have no idea how glad I am to see you both are safe, Vasilisa." He looked toward me. "And you too, Rose and Jass." I felt so sorry for him. He'd been sick when we left, but this - this was horrible. He was Natalie's father, only about forty or so, but he looked twice that age. Pale. Withered. Hands shaking. My heart broke watching him. With all the horrible people in the world, it didn't seem fair that this guy should get a disease that was going to kill him young and ultimately keep him from becoming king. Although not technically her uncle - the Moroi used family terms very loosely, especially the royals - Victor was a close friend of Lissa's family and had gone out of his way to help her after her parents had died. I liked him; he was the first person I was happy to see here.

Kirova let them have a few more moments and then stiffly drew Lissa back to her seat.  
Time for the lecture.

It was a good one - one of Kirova's best, which was saying something. She was a master at them. I swear that was the only reason she'd gone into school administration, because I had yet to see any evidence of her actually liking kids. I suspected that the lecture would be the usual stuff. Behaviour, reckless stunts and that shit. Boring! I tuned in when the tide shifted to us. She gave us her smile that said, pack your bags girls. I folded my arms.

"You, Miss Hathaway, broke the most sacred promise among our kind: the promise of a guardian to protect a Moroi. It is a great trust. A trust that you violated by selfishly taking the princess away from here. The Strigoi would love to finish off the Dragomirs; you nearly enabled them to do it. And you are to blame as well Miss Lancia." I opened my mouth to say a witty comeback when the girls beat us too it.

"Rose and Jass didn't kidnap us." I looked at the sisters. "We wanted to leave. Don't blame them!" The girls pleaded. I saw the witch drink in their appearances. She then tsked at all of us and started to pace.

"Miss Dragomirs, you both could have been the one who orchestrated the entire plan for all I know, but it was still her responsibility to make sure you didn't carry it out. If she'd done her duty, she would have notified someone. If she'd done her duty, she would have kept you safe."

We snapped.

"We did do our duty!" I shouted as we jumped up from our chairs. The guards didn't move just flinched. We weren't trying to hit her. Yet.

"We did keep them safe! I kept them safe when none of you" - Rose made a sweeping gesture around the room - "could do it. We took them away to protect them. We did what we had to do. You certainly weren't going to." Rose finished. I crossed my arms and glared at her. Ela sent me messages but I ignored them.

Kirova stared at us, her face blank, not amused. "Miss Hathaway and Miss Lancia, forgive me if I fail to see the logic of how taking them out of a heavily guarded, magically secured environment is protecting them. Unless there's something you both aren't telling us?" I saw Rose bite her lip and I kept glaring at her. "I see. Well, then. By my estimation, the only reason you girls left - aside from the novelty of it, no doubt - was to avoid the consequences of that horrible, destructive stunt both of you pulled just before your disappearance."

"That's not-" I started to say but she raised her hand.

"And that only makes my decision that much easier. As a Moroi, the princesses must continue on here at the Academy for their own safety, but we have no such obligations to you both," She said pretending to be sad. You both will be sent away as soon as possible."

"We… what?" Rose asked. It appeared her cockiness had dried up. But not mine.

"Oh no you don't you bitch!" I said lunging at her. Damion and Dimitri both had to wrestle me back into my seat.

Lissa and Ela stood up. "You can't do that! They are our guardians!" Ela cried.

"They are no such thing, particularly since they aren't even a guardian at all. They're still a novice."

"But our parents-" Lissa started.

"I know what your parents wanted, God rest their souls, but things have changed. Miss Hathaway and Miss Lancia are expendable. They don't deserve to be a guardian, and they will leave." I stared at Kirova, unable to believe what I was hearing.

"Where are you going to send me? To my mom in Nepal? Did she even know I was gone? Or maybe you'll send me off to my father?" Rose asked. Her eyes narrowed at the bite in that last word. When I spoke, my voice was unusually cold.

"Or maybe you're going to try to send me off to be a blood whore. Try that, and we'll be gone by the end of the day." I said.

"Miss Hathaway and Miss Lancia," Kirova hissed. "You are out of line!"

"They are bonded," Damion said. We turned to look at the brothers. They looked like a cowboy sentry with their long coats.

"It's obvious," Dimitri said. "I could see it when I was watching Rosemarie and Vasilisa."

"I saw it when watching Jasmine and Vasela," Damion said. I at least had the satisfaction of seeing Kirova caught off guard as she glanced between us, Damion and Dimitri. "No…that's impossible. That hasn't happened in centuries."

"Oh," I said raising my hand to my mouth. "Are you going too cry? Knowledge ain't everything bitch," I said standing.

"That is a gift," murmured Victor from his corner. "A rare and wonderful thing."

"The best guardians always had that bond," added Dimitri. "In the stories." Kirova's outrage returned.

"Stories that are centuries old," she exclaimed. "Surely you aren't suggesting we let them stay at the Academy after everything that they have done?" I smirked.

"They might be wild and disrespectful, but if they show their potential - " Damion started.

"Wild and disrespectful?" I interrupted. "Who the hell are you anyway? Outsourced help?"

"Guardians Belikov are the princesses' guardian now," said Kirova. "Their sanctioned guardians."

"You got cheap foreign labour to protect Lissa and Ela?" Rose asked. It was a really rude comment Rose made seeing as most of our guardians come from Russia of from a Romanian line. It was smart and funny.

"See?!" Kirova outcried. "Completely undisciplined! All the psychic bonds and very raw potential in the world can't make up for that. A guardian without discipline is worse than no guardian."

"So teach them discipline. Classes just started. Put them back in and get her training again." Damion said.

"Impossible. They'll still be hopelessly behind their peers."

"No, we won't," I argued. No one listened to me.

"Then give her extra training sessions," Dimitri said. It was like a ping-pong game between the brothers and the old hag.

"Well who will teach them? You boys?" Kirova asked. The boys stopped and I lost all hope. "Exactly what I thought. Now girls," Kirova continued.

"We will," Damion started. Kirova did a double take and watched them. "We will train the girls separately and they will have their usual classes," Damion finished.

"And then what?" retorted Kirova angrily. "They go unpunished?"

"Find some other way to punish her," answered Dimitri. "Guardian numbers have gone down too much to risk losing another." A girl, in particular. His unspoken words made me shudder, reminding me of my earlier statement about "blood whores." Few dhampir girls became guardians anymore. Victor suddenly spoke up from his corner.

"I'm inclined to agree with Guardians Belikov. Sending Rose and Jass away would be a shame, a waste of talent." Ms. Kirova stared out her window. It was completely black outside. With the Academy's nocturnal schedule, morning and afternoon were relative terms. That, and they kept the windows tinted to block out excess light. When she turned back around, Lissa met her eyes. "Please, Ms. Kirova. Let Rose stay." Ela joined in. They have to be careful. They were using compulsion on her. I don't even know if the compulsion made a difference, but finally, Kirova sighed.

"If Miss Hathaway and Miss Lancia stay, here's how it will be." She turned to us. "Your continued enrolments at St. Vladimir's are strictly probationary. Step out of line once, and you're gone. You will attend all classes and required trainings for novices your age. You will also train with Guardians Belikov in every spare moment you have - before and after classes. Other than that, you are banned from all social activities, except meals, and will stay in your dorm. Fail to comply with any of this, and you will be sent…away."

I gave a harsh laugh. "Banned from all social activities? Are you trying to keep us apart?" I nodded toward Lissa and Ela. "Afraid we'll run away again?"

"I'm taking precautions. As I'm sure you recall, you were never properly punished for destroying school property. You have a lot to make up for." Her thin lips tightened into a straight line. "You are being offered a very generous deal. I suggest you don't let your attitude endanger it." I saw started to say it wasn't generous at all, but then I caught Dimitri's and Damion's gaze. It was hard to read. They might have been telling us that they believed in us. They might have been telling us we were idiots to keep fighting with Kirova. I didn't know. Looking away from him for the second time during the meeting, I stared at the floor, conscious of Lissa beside me and her own encouragement burning in our bond. At long last, I exhaled and glanced back up at the headmistress.

"Fine. We accept."


	4. Chapter 4

Sending us straight to class after our meeting seemed beyond cruel. It was heartless, but that's exactly what Kirova did. I was honestly expecting that. It was the way Kirova rolled. Hateful Bitch. Lissa and Ela were led away, and I watched Ela go, relieved that the bond would allow me to keep reading her emotional temperature. I was totally surprised when they sent me and Rose to the guidance councillors first. It seemed weird, but well weird doesn't even begin to describe our lives. My person was this old Moroi woman who seemed like a gazillion years old. Okay, I may have exaggerated, but she was old. Most Moroi lived till they were a hundred or around about there. She looked like she was well passed that. She had a bit of trouble hearing so the entire visit took around ten minuets. She mentioned nothing of my return, which I was grateful for, but asked about the classes I took. Ela and I took numerous classes but her favourite had always been creative writing. I must admit I liked that class but I enjoyed Music the most. She compared this to my old schedule and quickly gave me a new one. I walked outside and saw Rose waiting for me. I grinned.

"Advanced Guardian Combat Techniques?" Rose asked. My grin grew even more as I nodded. We saw the guardians watching us curiously. I rolled my eyes as I shook my head.

"Don't worry, we aren't bonded," I said. Rose laughed as we started to walk away.

Rose and I smiled even more as we saw we had the same classes. Ugh. I'd forgotten how long the Academy's school day was. Novices and Moroi took separate classes during the first half of the day, which meant I wouldn't see Lissa and Ela until after lunch—if we had any afternoon classes together. Most of them were standard senior classes, so I felt my odds were pretty good. Slavic art struck me as the kind of elective no one signed up for, so hopefully they'd stuck them in there too.

"You'd think they'd separate us wouldn't you?" Rose asked.

"I would." We reached the gym and opened it. I lost my smug feeling. Dhampiers were every where. When Alberta walked straight past us, I saw how Alberta wore her hair in a short, pixie cut that showed her promise mark and _Molnija_ marks. A lot of female guardians did this. It didn't matter so much for me now, since my neck had no tattoos yet, but I didn't want to ever cut my hair. Damion and Dimitri soon followed her, but all I could see was my peer's eyes on us. I couldn't decide if I felt like a rock star or a circus freak. I looked at Rose who was watching me. We were waiting for each other to make the first move. I sighed. All right, then. If I was going to be stuck here for a while, I wasn't going to act afraid of them all anymore. The four of us once held the schools respect. I saw Rose scan the room. I guessed who she was watching when her grin appeared.

"Hey Mason, wipe the drool off your face. If you're going to think about me naked, do it on your own time." A few snorts and snickers broke the awed silence, and Mason Ashford snapped out of his haze, giving Rose a lopsided smile. I couldn't help but snicker myself. With red hair that stuck up everywhere and a smattering of freckles, it usually made a few Moroi girls swoon, but we all know who he is after. Rose, of course. Rose and I walked over to him and I found that one of his best friends move closer to me.

"James, same applies to you," I said shaking my head slightly. More snickers and snorts went around as James disappeared next to Mason.

"This is my time, Hathaway. I'm leading today's session."

"Oh yeah?" I retorted. "Huh. Well, I guess this is a good time to think about her naked, then."

"It's always a good a time to think about both of you naked," added someone nearby, breaking the tension further. Eddie Castile. Another friend of ours. I looked away and saw from a distance that the brothers were talking in Russian and shaking their heads. Damion met my gaze and I looked away.

The class engulfed shortly afterwards, and I found myself catching up with old classmates. Everyone wanted to know where we'd been; apparently Lissa, Ela, Rose and I had become legends. I couldn't tell them why we'd left, of course, so I offered up a lot of taunts and wouldn't-you-like-to-knows that served just as well. The happy reunion lasted a few more minutes before the adult guardian who oversaw the training came over and scolded Mason for neglecting his duties. Still grinning, he barked out orders to everyone, explaining what exercises to start with. Uneasily I realized I didn't know most of them. Rose got paired with Mason when James came over.

"Come on Lancia; let's see what you two have been up to."

* * *

As an hour passed, Jason had his answer. I moaned as he put me on my ass. Again. "Not practicing, huh?"

"Ow," I groaned, momentarily incapable of normal speech. He extended a hand and helped me up from the mat he'd knocked me down on—about fifty times. "I hate you," I told him, rubbing a spot on my thigh that was going to have a wicked bruise tomorrow. Just think. I have to do the same thing again tomorrow. Ugh.

"You'd hate me more if I held back."

"Yeah, that's true," I agreed, staggering along as the class put the equipment back.

"You actually did okay."

"What? I just the shit knocked out of me."

"Well, of course you did. It's been two years. But hey, you're still walking. That's something." He grinned mockingly. I rolled me eyes.

"Did I mention I hate you?" He flashed me another smile, which quickly faded to something more serious.

"Don't take this the wrong way…I mean, you really are a scrapper, but there's no way you'll be able to take your trials in the spring—"

"They're making me take extra practice sessions," I explained. Not that it mattered. I planned on getting Ela and me out of here. I know Rose would do the same. Looks like another breakout from the four of us. Yippee. I was hopping to have this done these practices really became an issue. "I'll be ready."

"Extra sessions with who?"

"That tall guy. Damion." That had rendered James speechless before he started up again. That didn't surprise me.

"You're putting in extra time with a Belikov?"

"Yeah, so what?"

"So? SO?" James looked hurt. I smiled more. "The man is a total fucking god."

"Exaggerate much?" I asked.

"No, I'm serious. I mean, he's all quiet and antisocial usually, but when he fights…wow. If you think you're hurting now, you're going to be dead when he's done with you." Great. Something else to improve my already fantastic day. I glared at James as I elbowed him in the ribs and went on to second period.

* * *

That class covered the essentials of being a bodyguard and was required for all seniors. Actually, it was the third in a series that had started junior year. That meant I was behind in this class too, but I hoped protecting Ela in the real world had given me some insight on this subject.

Our instructor was Stan Alto, whom we referred to simply as "Stan" behind his back and "Guardian Alto" in formal settings. He was a little older than Dimitri and Damion, but not nearly as tall, and he always looked pissed off. Today, that look intensified when he walked into the classroom and saw me along as Rose sitting there. His eyes widened in mock surprise as he circled the room and came to stand beside our desks seeing that they were next to each other.

"What's this? No one told me we had guest speakers here today. Rose Hathaway and Jasmine Lancia. What a privilege! How very generous of you to take time out of your busy schedule and share your knowledge with us. Jasmine can go first" I felt my cheeks burning, but in a great show of self-control, I stopped myself from telling him to fuck off. I'm pretty sure my face must have delivered that message, however, because his sneer increased. He gestured for me to stand up. This was fucking perfect. "Well, come on, come on. Don't sit there! Come up to the front so you can help me lecture the class."

I sank into my seat. "You don't really mean—"

The taunting smile dried up. "I mean exactly what I say, Lancia. Go to the front of the class."

A thick silence enveloped the room. Stan was a scary instructor, and most of the class was too awed to laugh at my disgrace quite yet. Refusing to crack, I strode up to the front of the room and turned to face the class. I gave them a bold look and tossed my hair over my shoulders, earning a few sympathetic smiles from my friends, including Rose. I then noticed I had a larger audience than expected. A few guardians—including Dimitri and Damion—lingered in the back of the room. Outside the Academy, guardians focused on one-on-one protection. Here, guardians had a lot more people to protect and they had to train the novices. So rather than follow any one person around, they worked shifts guarding the school as a whole and monitoring classes.

"Enlighten us about your protective techniques Lancia," Stan said with this smug look on his face.

"My…techniques?"

"Of course. Because presumably you must have had some sort of plan the rest of us couldn't understand when you took an underage Moroi royal out of the Academy and exposed her to constant Strigoi threats." It was the Kirova lecture all over again, except with more witnesses. I was not going to let this guy push me around and be cruel. He is not Kirova. I can actually punch him, although I will still get in trouble but not as much as if I punch the bitch.

"We never ran into any Strigoi," I replied stiffly.

"Obviously," he said with a snicker. "I already figured that out, seeing as how you're still alive."

I wanted to shout that maybe I could have defeated a Strigoi, but after getting beat up in the last class, I now suspected I couldn't have survived an attack by Jason, let alone an actual Strigoi.

When I didn't say anything, Stan started pacing in front of the class.

"So what'd you do? How'd you make sure she stayed safe? Did you avoid going out at night?"

"Sometimes." That was true—especially when we'd first run away. We'd relaxed a little after months went by with no attacks. He gave me this look.

"Sometimes," he repeated in a high-pitched voice, making my answer sound incredibly stupid. "Well then, I suppose you slept during the day and stayed on guard at night."

I shook my head. "Er…no."

"No? But that's one of the first things mentioned in the chapter on solo guarding. Oh wait, you wouldn't know that because you weren't here." I swallowed back more swear words.

"I watched the area whenever we went out," I said, needing to defend myself.

"Oh? Well that's something. Did you use Carnegie's Quadrant Surveillance Method or the Rotational Survey?" I didn't say anything.

"Ah. I'm guessing you used the Lancia/Hathaway Glance-Around-When-You-Remember-To Method."

"No!" I exclaimed angrily. "That's not true. I watched her. They're still alive, aren't they?"

He walked back up to me and leaned toward my face. "Because you both got lucky."

"Strigoi aren't lurking around every corner out there," I shot back. "It's not like what we've been taught. It's safer than you guys make it sound."

"Safer? Safer? We are at war with the Strigoi!" he yelled. I could smell coffee on his breath, he was so close. "One of them could walk right up to you and snap your pretty little neck before you even noticed him—and he'd barely break a sweat doing it. You might have more speed and strength than a Moroi or a human, but you are nothing, nothing, compared to a Strigoi. They are deadly, and they are powerful. And do you know what makes them more powerful?"

No way was I going to let this asshole/jerk make me cry. Looking away from him, I tried to focus on something else. My eyes rested on Damion and the other guardians. They were watching my humiliation, stone-faced.

"Moroi blood," I whispered.

"What was that?" asked Stan loudly. "I didn't catch it."

I spun back around to face him. "Moroi blood! Moroi blood makes them stronger." I practically yelled at him. He was getting on my last nerve. So help me, if he didn't stop soon, Rose would have to come out here and hold me back. I looked at her and saw she thought the same thing.

He nodded in satisfaction and took a few steps back. "Yes. It does. It makes them stronger and harder to destroy. They'll kill and drink from a human or dhampir, but they want Moroi blood more than anything else. They seek it. They've turned to the dark side to gain immortality, and they want to do whatever they can to keep that immortality. Desperate Strigoi have attacked Moroi in public. Groups of Strigoi have raided academies exactly like this one. There are Strigoi who have lived for thousands of years and fed off generations of Moroi. They're almost impossible to kill. And that is why Moroi numbers are dropping. They aren't strong enough—even with guardians—to protect themselves. Some Moroi don't even see the point of running anymore and are simply turning Strigoi by choice. And as the Moroi disappear…"

"…so do the dhampirs," I finished.

"Well," he said, licking sprayed spit off his lips. "It looks like you learned something after all. Now we'll have to see if you can learn enough to pass this class and qualify for your field experience next semester." Ouch. I spent the rest of that horrible class—in my seat, thankfully—replaying those last words in my mind. The senior-year field experience was the best part of a novice's education. We'd have no classes for half a semester. Instead, we'd each be assigned a Moroi student to guard and follow around. The adult guardians would monitor us and test us with staged attacks and other threats. How a novice passed that field experience was almost as important as all the rest of her grades combined. It could influence which Moroi she got assigned to after graduation. And me? There was only one Moroi I wanted.


End file.
